How do you write filler?

[DokiDokiTsuna]

Just askin'. I think due to fandom discourse in recent years, the word 'filler' has earned a lot of undeserved negative connotations-- I mean, if the average fan calls an episode/arc/subplot filler, chances are they mean it as an insult, not a neutral observation. =/

But I think filler IS a neutral concept...the point is just to pad out the story with extra stuff, right? Which isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes you need those lower-stakes moments for pacing purposes, or to teach the viewer how the world of the story works, and how the characters live.

You could just mention those kinds of things in passing while they're prepping for a monster fight or sthg, but sometimes you want it to be more natural, y'know? Sometimes you want a calmer moment to play around with their personalities; to just have a little fun.

That being said, I don't actually like to use much filler. ^^; I'm just too impatient; I got too much going on to spend time making characters do inconsequential things just for the heck of it. My calm moments are always interwoven with exposition, and vice versa. You might say I'm an economical writer-- I pack as much information as possible into every inch of story, so we can get to the fun parts relatively quickly. :9

When I do write filler, though, it's usually comedic. As I always say, I am a drama writer by nature; I like to kill people and make them suffer~. And the opposite of that is actually letting them joke around and not worry about things for a change, so that's what I do when the plot takes a break.

Either that, or I do a short angst-solving arc...this is a technique I use in practically all my stories.
So we've either just finished a heavy moment, or we're going to be starting one soon but I need to buy some time to explain something first-- here's an opportunity to take one of these suffering characters and give them some emotional clarity in the B-plot.

"But that's just character development...does it really count as filler?" you might ask.
I dunno. Maybe not. ^^; But the way it plays out usually feels like filler, especially in comic scripts. I spend much more time letting the character muck around than actively working on their problem...the point is to create a situation where they can realize something about themselves at the end, even if it's something relatively small (or something that just seems small). Anything that makes them feel a little bit better, and more ready to handle whatever I throw at them next. ^^

Anyway, in all cases, I think the most crucial element to filler is 'fun'. You want the reader to enjoy it; you've got to craft it expressly for that purpose, or else they'll just be sitting there thinking 'ok so...when are we getting back to the plot??'

And while, as I said, I don't dislike filler as a concept, I absolutely despise it when writers forget that part. >_< About half of all the filler I've seen is either stuff created more for the writers to play with the characters and show off how funny they think they are than to give the audience anything interesting to watch...or just bland regurgitations of typical filler tropes ('beach episode', 'body swap/personality swap episode', 'what-the-characters-dream-about episode').

I guess if all you ever see is those things done badly, you could easily learn to hate all filler...I mean, it's understandable. =/ Fortunately, I'm not at that point, though.

[cyborgmermaid]

I have one filler so far, and another planned for next month. Essentially, I write a 2-3 part short story as flashbacks or backstory for certain characters. It's something that can be skipped over by readers but shouldn't because it enhances the experience. It gives a deeper understanding of why these characters do what they do. I think if utilized correctly, fillers can help a story more than hurt it.

[djourner]

Take it from someone who has already had two filler episodes, filler is not that bad.
One of my favorite episodes from Avatar, the last airbender was 'tales of ba sing se', and that episode is mostly filler.

Filler can be moving and interisting, it can add a lot of characterization and drama without feeling cheap.
And if built to send a message, it can send a powerful message that only needs a short while to deliver... I have actual filler chapters and episodes scheduled in my story specifically for that, as to me adding those details to characters outweights the problem of 'but what about the main story'
There is such a thing as TOO MUCH filler, I write some filler episodes which are essentially collections of smaller stories that can't fill a whole episode, and when I'm done with one of those i'm usually craving for development, but that doesn't make those episodes and chapters less worthwhile to read.

You see, too much drama can tire the emotional conection the readers make, too much action can feel stale and repetitive, and too much filler can feel like a waste of time.
The secret lies in balancing that thin line between all of them.

Just don't pull the naruto filler boat move and you will be fine.

[Kaydreamer]

I'll be quite unabashed about my love for character-driven filler. I love giving my characters a chance to just pal around, develop relationships, contemplate, grieve, or whatever else. My comic won't shy away from it, because those little character moments are the whole reason I write.

With the filler I've made so far, it's been either funny, or for the purpose of exploring a friendship between characters. I think if you dug deeply enough, you could find a story or character purpose being served by most filler.

(Naruto being a fairly extreme exception. )

[DesiredUsernameTaken]

"But that's just character development...does it really count as filler?" you might ask.

You got me

I have a notoriously difficult time getting used to characters, liking them, and believing them as "people". Even my friends who have high-standards for characters consider my bar too high. I don't intentionally set it, I can't force myself to believe in nor enjoy them, it just happens.

I bring that up because I am someone who often needs a LOT of time before investing in a character. The conventional way of writing them where one simply has to hit all the right beats with a character arc, sprinkle in 5-6 important scenes of the character, and have only the pivotal stuff? It doesn't work for me, so 95% of the characters I come across that others feel are believable, and lovable, are lackluster to me. Storytellers cut out so much from their characters, because they're advised to, and the characters just die right there.

What many consider "filler" are the most important aspects of pacing that character for me, letting me to get to know them when they're relaxed and I don't have to deal with their drama, and nor do I have to learn and take notes about some plot that's being talked about, nor information about the world. It's just them. I love that. I need that for characters.

When I create my characters, of course I already feel they're real to me, but if they don't come across right on paper to me, when I distance myself from it and look at is a personal reader, I can easily grow indifferent to them. So I not only leave in some filler, but I'll create more of it if I feel it's lacking.

My filler will often have some banter between characters, showing them teasing each other, or little wonderings about things the characters are simply curious about. Sometimes it's philosophical. Sometimes it's random questions that have nothing to do with anything but giving me another small taste of the way this person's brain works.

As others have said, balance is always the key. I've definitely read novels that are 90% filler and little else. That kills me. When I write, I always ask myself, "Once I finish this would I care to reread it?". It's kind of like how gamers wonder about the replay value of a game. I worry about the reread value of my stories, because reading it vs creating it are two wildly different experiences for me. If there's not enough, or too little filler, the value changes.

[AmysGames]

Something I think of when it comes to filler is the Sailor Moon series. Having never seen it as a kid, I recently decided to binge-watch the entire anime. That show has a lot of filler, but I didn't mind, because the filler was silly and fun and breathed a lot of life into the characters. To me, it made the heavy-hitting story elements hit that much harder, because I understood what the characters had to lose were evil to succeed.

On the other hand, there's Sailor Moon Crystal, the reboot that follows the manga more closely. It has no filler at all, focusing more on the story. Though the actual story elements are objectively better (for the most part), the characters felt noticeably more flat to me. A lot of the character development I enjoyed from the original anime was completely absent, causing me to care a lot less about what happened to them. Scenes that made me cry in the original felt empty in Crystal.

This isn't to say Crystal is a bad anime—I definitely enjoyed it, and there are plenty of people who love it. Just to me, it shows that while a story with no filler can be good and successful, good filler can add a LOT to the emotional impact of a story.

Anyway, to actually answer the question, usually what I try to do is focus on specific characters. Find something about a specific character (or multiple characters) to explore during the moments of downtime between the major plot points, allowing the readers to see more of their character. That being said, sometimes figuring out what the characters should do in these filler scenes is the hard part, haha.

[crimson_mystery_cake]

Imo filler probably isn’t real in the sense of a single creator creating a work. Filler is something that I think of being unique to weekly anime. The anime needs time for the manga to continue so the anime staff come up with a completely inconsequential storyline to pad things out for the manga. It can’t actually impact the characters in any meaningful way because the story needs to continue from where the manga takes place unchanged.

If you’re writing a story by yourself and you take a break from the actual plot to flesh out a character more, that’s not filler in my eyes. Fleshing characters out is actually incredibly important to your narrative, heck in some stories your characters ARE the narrative so fleshing them out more is a must.

If you’ve had a really intense story arc and there’s another intense story arc in the horizon and you write something a bit less intense in between arcs that is also not filler in my eyes. Setting the tone of your story is also very important. It’s important to give your story some levity imo.

Even if you’re making something completely random and unrelated to the overall plot and can be completely skippable it’s not really filler in my mind. An example of this would be the Davy back fight of One Piece. The arc itself is ultimately inconsequential and you can mostly skip it and still understand the plot. BUT I don’t consider the davy back fight arc as filler in the manga, because it’s set between the incredibly dense Skypiea arc and the water 7/enies lobby arc. It helps give levity to the story and it serves that purpose well. But in the anime a BUNCH of stuff is added to that arc purely for padding, so I would consider that content filler.

Just my opinion on the matter though lmao

[NickRowler]

I think when people are hating on filler, they might be more talking about filler in anime which tends to be material that is non-canonical to the source material. Anime does filler in order to allow the source material sometime to create more content for the main plotline. And sometimes the writing in anime filler is not up to par with the source material and it can be very jarring.

While I think filler can also just be small story plots that are not part of the main. Or it can just be padding.

[BOMB]

I might be missing the point here a little, but in my opinion, filler is a bad thing. There's a distinct difference between subplots and filler. Filler pads out the story and is unnecessary or inconsequential. Subplots on the other hand may stray away from the main story but they always hold some level of significance and they contribute to the purpose of the story.

But there is something else to consider. Some people consider some things fillers while other people don't. Some people like long character development moments, while some people could potentially see it as dragging on. Difference in opinion can blur the line between subplots and filler. Still, if you feel like what you're writing is relevant I'd consider it a subplot or a supporting scene. If your writing something you feel is irrelevant or unnecessary then it's filler and I just wouldn't include it.

But that's just me.

[Breezy]

One of my favorite episodes from Avatar, the last airbender was 'tales of ba sing se', and that episode is mostly filler.

I wouldn't describe that episode as filler at all. It has a purpose. I don't equate filler to scenes that don't advance the plot. I equate filler to scenes that have no purpose. As long as there is a point to the episode and it adds to someone's characterization, then it is not filler.

[NellieVP318]

As someone that watches anime a lot, fillers can be done well or bad depending on the writer. I have watched some anime that do their fillers well because it either adds on the story, character or the world. I think it's important sometimes to provide background information to keep your audience interested. Some fillers can be pointless. So I guess I like fillers if they are integrated in the story and character a bit. I think other people's definitions about fillers can vary too.

[AwesomeSoFar]

I feel like if it serves any purpose in the story, even if its purely to have lower stakes for the sake of the pacing, it doesn't count as filler. dunno if that's the objectively correct definition, but I think it only becomes filler when it does absolutely nothing but pad out for time.

[Ennuiwolf]

Honestly I love filler. It gives me time to let the main plot of the story digest and also take a moment to spend with the characters. I think filler could be a good way to deliver backstory or side stories as well! Like you dedicate a single chapter to exploring the origins of a character originally set aside, or explore the lore more. And of course, comedic filler is good as it helps lighten the tone too!

[LadyLily]

I think the term "filler" is misused a lot because it's misunderstood a lot.

I'll give you a prime example of what true filler actually is: C-Dramas.

The thing with C-Dramas (and this comes from a conversation with a person who works extensively on C-Drama sets) is that "filler" is required by law to provide ad revenue to the studio. The government owns these studios in a way, and they have to approve series and individual shows. They require a certain amount of episodes because of ads they run while the show is being aired in China. This forces screenwriters to create filler episodes that many times make absolutely no sense and do nothing to benefit the story.

Character development in a novel isn't filler in the least little bit. Just so you know. If there is a necessary point to what may seem like "mucking around," it isn't filler. It's involving the reader in the lives of these characters so they can get a better grasp of the personality.

I've fortunately never seen what you're referring to in the novels I've read. I seem to read authors who like to have a good moving story. If a writer focuses on telling the story and drawing their reader in, the flow should be natural and move the story along consistently without dead and pointless dialogue or chapters. If you feel dialogue or descriptive sentences may be too lengthy, ask if it adds to the story or acts as a distraction. If it's a distraction and losing it won't change a thing, erase it ASAP!

[ReaperKing]

Filler for me is actually something I'm planning to do. One of my most favourite filler arc of all time is the G-8 arc from one piece. It didn't move the story forward, but we got this dynamic from the one-piece cast which made is so worthwhile. So for me filler is very important for the experience. The readers could see day-to-day life of the cast if shit doesn't o off the rais every few seconds and what they would do if everything was calm, etc. I have written no filler myself yet (since I haven't finished an arc yet) but for me to write filler is basically just showing an everyday life of the cast or just a small stake goose chase kind of situation. As long as the filler is not overbearing like not, then it's an ok to have it.

[TedGravesArt]

I try my best to avoid pure filler in my writing these days. A couple throwaway panels is fine, but entire subplots that are inconsequential need to go. My series is long, and requires at least 30-35 issues, and when each issue takes me months to produce, a page of filler would make me feel like I'd never get to the end. Every scene I write has to push either the plot or characters in some way or I'm spinning my wheels and boring myself and my audience.
There is such a thing as being too economical of course. Sometimes I need to insert a panel or two for pacing, or I'll play a joke out, but I don't really consider those fillers, that's just story flavor.
That said, one of my favorite instances of filler is this scene from Fargo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_Ge4F4E9JE
The scene is 4 and a half minutes long, and doesn't have anything to do with anything else in the movie, and it doesn't move the plot or characters forward. It's the only instance of filler in this movie with otherwise pretty tight storytelling. But it's so memorable that without it, Fargo just wouldn't be Fargo.

[crowstories]

My first novel I was overly concerned with word count, and added way too much filler to the early chapters, which I ended up having to go back and remove because it really wasn't adding anything.

I find that I don't need to try to add filler -- it just kind of happens as I'm writing between plot points, and it's generally more interesting when I haven't deliberately added it.

[PKLucky]

I'd say the "filler" that I'm planning to add to my series is focused on character development and character relationships rather than moving the plot forward, which, in my opinion, wouldn't really be considered filler since it's still adding some meaningful content to the series.

I'd say filler is filler when nothing new is added to the story. No character development, no plot progression, no nothing. Even typical "filler" plots like the beach episode/body swap/dream episodes can add characterization or explore character dynamics when done right.